Where on Earth? Week 17: Austin, TX

by Justin Glow on

Well, I was right — this was too easy of a Where on Earth. It only took reader Dave 21 minutes to come up with the correct answer of Mt. Bonnell Park in Austin, TX. What looks like a large river is actually Lake Austin. This is usually considered Austin’s highest point at 775 feet, and it’s popular among tourists and locals alike. I’ve made my way to the top several times, usually to take in the horizon and ogle the multi-million-dollar houses down below.

“The peak is named for George Bonnell,” according to the Austin Explorer, “who served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the Texas Republic. He first moved to Austin in 1839.” The Explorer also offers up directions for those of you interested in seeing this site in real life:

“From MoPac Expressway in Central Austin, take the 35th Street exit and head west. Proceed past Camp Mabry on the right and veer left in the fork on the road onto Old Bull Creek Road. Turn right onto Mount Bonnell Road and lumber up the the hill and look for parking on the left when reaching the crest.”

We really need to start making these tougher.

Where on Earth? Week 17

by Justin Glow on

This could be really easy or really hard — I’m not quite sure which. If I had to guess — based on the track record of our amazingly insightful readers — it’ll be really easy. Nevertheless, here is week 17 of Where on Earth? for you to figure out. Please leave your answers in the comments, and remember: the more specific, the better! I’ll announce the correct answer and winner on Friday. Good luck!

Where on Earth (Week 16) – Lofoten Islands, Norway!

by Neil Woodburn on

Wow. Jon nailed this week’s Where on Earth right away! I thought maybe that we would stump all of you this time around, but I was wrong.

I ran across this motley crew of fellow backpackers at a local youth hostel on Moskenes, one of the Lofoten Islands in Norway. The islands, located above the Arctic Circle are marvelous punctuations of Mother Nature, bright green and rising majestically out of the frigid ocean.

The youth hostel itself was in the tiny, windswept town of Å, which was virtually a few wooden structures and that’s about it. There wasn’t a whole lot to do here but fish (guests could borrow a small rowboat and catch arctic cod all day long) and hike.

I had the fortune of visiting during the midnight sun when the sun never set. One night about midnight, restless from 24 hours of daylight, a group of us decided to go hiking. We aimed towards one of the taller mountains on the island. Shortly after reaching the top, we sat back and watched as the sun slowly dipped toward the horizon only to pump fake us and start rising up again.

Fantastic! I’ve never seen anything quite like these magical islands and I do hope to return one day.

Where on Earth? (Week 16)

by Neil Woodburn on

This is Week 16 of Where on Earth and we’ve only managed to stump our faithful readers a single time (apparently no one has ever been to Tbilisi, Georgia). With this shot, we are hoping for number two.

Here is your only clue: This photo was taken at 1 a.m. in the morning.

And, of course, guessing a country won’t do you any good. We need specifics.

So, give it your best shot. Guess the location in the comments section below and then come back on Friday to visit and we will tell you the answer.

Where on Earth? (Week 15) Santa Cruz Island, California!

by Neil Woodburn on

Wow, I thought I lobbed out a difficult one this week and the very first answer nailed it. Congrats go out to Jim for correctly guessing on Wednesday that the above photo was taken at Potato Harbor on Santa Cruz Island (second place goes to Antheny and Ram for guessing the Channel Islands).

Santa Cruz is a part of the Channel Island chain just off the coast of California. Although most people are familiar with the most famous island in the chain, Catalina, few California natives realize that there are five others to the north.

I’ve been fortunate to visit three of the islands in the last few years. Although Anacapa is the most beautiful of those I visited, Santa Cruz is my favorite. I went for the first time two years ago for a bachelor party along with Erik, a fellow blogger here at Gadling.

Santa Cruz was the perfect location for a weekend away from Los Angeles. It has a good sized campground, some of the best coastal caves in the state for kayaking, miles of hiking trails, and some decent snorkeling.

The reason I thought no one would nail this location is because of the beautiful quality of the water sparkling in the above photograph. Anyone who has spent time swimming at the beaches of Southern California–especially in Los Angeles–will tell you that water clarity is abysmal. And yet here, just an hour’s boat ride away on Santa Cruz, the water looks as though it might be located in Mexico, the Philippines, Australia, or somewhere in Greece–all great guesses from some of our well-traveled readers.